A Billionaire Punishes Part 1 (Erotic Romance) Read Free Page A

to Hearts & Flowers?”
    “Yup,” I said, feeling my cheeks flush.
“First day,” I explained.
    “Ah, I know the feeling,” he said with a
grin. Those dimpled cheeks! That square jaw! That cute butt! “I’ve
only been here three months and I still feel goosebumps each time I
ride that elevator up to the third floor.”
    “Third floor?” I said. “That’s where I’m
going.”
    “Great,” he said when the elevator dinged.
“We can ride together.”
    “Great,” I said, a big smile plastered
across my face.
    The elevator was one of those cramped
contraptions that make you search out the inbuilt display for the
alarm button the minute you step on board. In fact the thing was so
cramped, I couldn’t help but nudge my companion’s arm with mine as
we stood side by side. And what an arm. I could tell at a glance
pure steel was concealed under that thin layer of cotton. Since I
was almost a full head smaller than Mister Universe, the next thing
I noticed was how his chest bulged in all the right places. Like I
said: pure steel.
    “These things always give me the creeps,” he
said in a low voice. “I actually prefer to take the stairs but
oddly enough, this building doesn’t have any.”
    “It doesn’t?” I said, my eyes now traveling
down to his pants. Holy crap! What was that bulge? More steel?
    “Oh, there is a staircase all right, only
it’s located on the other side of the building and takes you to a
puppy store.”
    “Is that right?” I said a bit dreamily.
    “And since they only open at ten, and the
only way to get to Hearts & Flowers is through the puppy
store…”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “That’s why I take the elevator,” he
finished, and turned his head to face me.
    His profile had been bad enough, but now
that I was treated to the full impact of his handsome features, I
swooned and suddenly vivid fantasies of this hunky stranger taking
me right there in that very elevator flashed through my mind.
    I must have been staring at him with my
mouth open, for he flashed me a grin.
    “Are you okay?” he said. “You look a bit
queasy.”
    “I-I-I’m fine,” I said, wide-eyed. Take me.
Take me now!
    “Must be the lack of oxygen,” he said.
    “Must be,” I faltered, resisting a sudden
urge to touch his bicep.
    “Ah, here we are,” he said when the elevator
jerked to a stop. He reached out a hand and took my arm.
    “I’ll be all right,” I said when he escorted
me into a small lobby, then through a glass door into a waiting
area. “I didn’t eat this morning, that’s probably why…” My voice
trailed off when I took in my new surroundings.
    There were flowers everywhere, from the
wallpaper to the upholstery of the couches that lined the walls to
the dozens of vases that decorated every possible surface in
sight.
    “Nice, huh?” he said when he saw my pleasant
surprise. “I figured since I was calling the company Hearts &
Flowers, every part of it should reflect our core business.” He
spread his arms. “Flowers.” He grinned again, displaying those
delectable dimples. “And hearts, of course. So I guess you’re Erin
Gould, my new secretary?”
    “Your secretary?” I said, blinking as if
suddenly exposed to the summer sun.
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I forgot to introduce
myself. How rude of me.” He reached out his hand, and took mine in
a firm grip. “I’m Remington Carswell. I run this place.”

Chapter 4
     
     
    It’s probably not for everyone to mistake
their new boss for a delivery man. It just goes to show what a
great judge of character I am. Of course, the episode with Bill the
sleazeball should have told you that already. Since I had a vague
impression of Remington Carswell as a slick shark, and this man I’d
just met was slick nor sharkish, I was speechless for a moment, as
I automatically shook his hand. He did have a strong grip, I hadn’t
been mistaken about that.
    “You’re a billionaire?” I blurted out before
realizing that was probably not the